The Tahirih Justice Center is excited to formally partner with the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland (PBRC) on a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women’s Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) to provide expanded holistic services to immigrant women and girls and all survivors of gender-based violence in the Greater Baltimore Area. This partnership will allow more immigrant survivors to meet all of their legal needs.
Tahirih and PBRC have been longtime allies in providing legal services to immigrant survivors of violence across Maryland. PBRC is Maryland’s hub for pro bono civil legal assistance provided by volunteers to ensure equal access to justice across the state of Maryland. As the pro bono arm of the Maryland State Bar Association, PBRC serves as the training, support, innovation, and advocacy center for pro bono work.
With LAV funds, Tahirih and PBRC will collaborate to provide free linguistically accessible, trauma-informed legal assistance for immigrant survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in the Greater Baltimore Area. Immigrant survivors in Baltimore face challenges such as financial abuse, housing insecurity, and other issues that require civil legal services that are often inaccessible to our clients. By partnering with PBRC, our clients will be able to access holistic legal services spanning family law, immigration matters, landlord-tenant/housing (including eviction prevention), consumer law, and other similar matters that will help survivors seek safety, independence, and empowerment. Similarly, PBRC will refer immigrant clients in need of expert assistance with immigration matters and family law to Tahirih, allowing us to reach more immigrant women and girls in need of support.
Tahirih will also improve community capacity by recruiting, training, coordinating, and mentoring pro bono attorneys to meet survivors’ needs throughout the region. In addition, Tahirih and PBRC will engage in cross-training to enhance the legal skills and knowledge of staff so both organizations are prepared to offer trauma-informed, client-centered legal services to immigrant survivors of gender-based violence.
“We are thrilled to partner with PBRC, an organization that shares Tahirih’s mission to provide equitable access to justice to survivors of violence,” said Daniella Prieshoff, Tahirih Greater DC-Baltimore Senior Supervising Attorney. “Together we will be able to holistically serve the needs of survivors of gender-based violence across the state of Maryland so that they will be in a better position to seek safety and independence.”
